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whentaniatalks: June 2015

Monday 29 June 2015

Charlotte Tilbury Norman Parkinson Collection

Hi Everyone!

I had the pleasure of being one of 10 bloggers to preview Charlotte Tilbury’s new collection, a collaboration with Norman Parkinson, at Selfridges Birmingham. The packaging contains iconic images from the celebrated portrait & fashion photographer & the products in the collection have been inspired by these photographs. The outer packaging, as is typical for Charlotte Tilbury’s products, is gorgeous! I only recently purchased my 1st Charlotte Tilbury product as the price has always held me back. I’ve fallen head over heels with my Film & Glow Bronze & Highlight palette, so was super excited about the products in this collection! I find limited edition products feel even more premium than their permanent counterparts!




I got to try the Filmstar Bronze & Glow in Sun Tan & Sun Light (£55), a cream product which contains an image of Jerry Hall that was used as a Vogue cover in 1975 on the packaging. I found the bronzer shade to be darker & much warmer & the highlighter shade to be more golden. You can see just how different they are when they’re next to one another. This is one that’s probably more suited to those with a darker skin colour to my own.


The Dreamy Glow Highlighter (£45), with an image of Carmen dell’Orefice from a 1979 Vogue cover, is a beautiful peachy cream shade - absolutely stunning! I have pre-ordered this so keep your eyes peeled for a full review.



The Colour of Youth Lip & Cheek Glow (£40), with a never-before-produced image of Parkinson’s wife Wendy. The Cheek Glow is beautiful! It is like no cream product I have seen before in that the consistency is much softer, almost with a slight liquid look. As a result the product is sheer & takes quite a lot to build up the colour, but the glow produced by this texture is beautiful.



There are two Matte Revolution lipsticks (£23) being released with the collection that I believe to be being added to the permanent line. Rose, the Personal Beauty Shopper was wearing the lipstick in 1975 & it looked gorgeous! The other bloggers noticed that the Miss Kensington lipstick was similar in shade to Tom Ford’s Spanish Pink but with a different finish. If you have that you might want to swatch the two next to one another to decide whether there is enough of a difference for you to want both.



There are also two makeup/wash bags in the collection. The smaller of the two being £32 & the larger £55. You can also purchase the ’1975’ & ‘Miss Kensington’ sets, with all the products to create these looks. 


The collection launches on Saturday 4th July in Selfridges & at charlottetilbury.com.

Which are the products you’re most excited about?

Tania Xx

Have you seen my Bridal Makeup Tutorial?

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Thursday 25 June 2015

Shoes: Pleasure and Pain

Hi Everyone!

Shoes. I think most women have a preference when it comes to high-heel versus flats.

I’ve always been a flats kinda gal for the most part, sticking on a pair of heels when I played a concert. The all black dress code for women if the reason for the vast number of black heels I now have in my possession! These will all be gone soon though, as I embrace my life with EDS & succumb to a life of flats in a bid to save my hips/back/ankles/knees from further pain/damage. I’ve one pair of wedges that are gorgeous & I can’t bear to part with!

Freya is such a girl!

I love the history behind our clothing & accessories, where it all started & how it has evolved. When I was sent this ‘The Short Shoe History’ infographic by www.farfetch.com I knew I had to share it with you all, along with a little peak into my shoe collection? wardrobe? under the bed? Not quite sure how to describe the shoes that I own, but I’ll be sharing a snippet of them with you all the same!






As we’re supposedly not in summer, let’s start with the sandals! I have two day-to-day sandals, a pair of Birkenstocks (‘scuse the feet marks!) & a cute black pair from New Look with gold detailing that look great with a coral pedi! I love the Birkenstocks as they have good support for the foot. This makes them really comfy & takes some of the impact experienced when walking.



These are the only ‘heels’ I just can’t part with - I love the detail on the wedge. I bought them as part of my ‘going away’ outfit for my wedding but we didn’t get time to change as so much was going on. They aren’t quite as difficult as heels because of the extra surface area on the ground, but I still wobble a lot!


My good ol’ faithful shoes. I love these as, like the Birkenstocks, they too have additional support that cushions the foot. Without these I wouldn’t have lasted as long as I did in my retail job! 


Then to my winter options - boots. Not only do these keep my feet warm, they give my ankle a teensy bit of support too. I’ve struggled to find boots with no heel, but these two are low enough to be comfortable. I love the Chelsea boot s & this black pair gives a nod to this style with an open section where the traditional boot would have elastic & a buckle to secure them in place & add an extra detail.


So now that you know a bit about how shoe styles have evolved over the last 90 years & my personal shoe loves I wanted to share another piece of exciting information with you all! The Victoria & Albert museum is currently running an exhibition entitled ’Shoes: Pleasure and Pain’. I know though my own experience with my EDS the pain shoes can cause but am intrigued by this exhibition that looks at 200 extreme examples of footwear from around the world! I’m going to try & get down to London early enough on the day of my next Botox treatment to check this exhibition out!

Are you a high-heel kind a gal or do you prefer flats?
Which decade is your favourite?

Tania Xx

Have you seen my Denim Days Lookbook video?

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Thursday 18 June 2015

Beginners’ Guide To Buying A DSLR – Accessories

Hi Everyone! 

I am by no means an expert on photography or cameras, but I know an awful lot of questions get asked about what the best camera to buy is. I have just purchased my first (& I’m hoping my only) DSLR, so I thought I’d share my experience with you!

To avoid you all having to read an essay, I thought I’d separate this subject into four posts; ‘Things To Consider’, ‘Where to buy’, ‘My Thoughts On My Camera’ & ‘Accessories’.


Today I want to focus on camera accessories. Deciding which accessories to purchase & when is a very personal decision, so I’m going to talk you through what I chose & why.


One of the things I hadn’t been able to post about before getting my camera was fashion. The reason for this is that the only person available to take photos was my husband, who really had no interest in taking photos of me in one outfit, let alone multiple ones! I would get one photo, two if lucky & three if I pushed my luck. They never ended up how I wanted them as I was a little on edge, knowing he didn’t want to be involved. In all fairness to him, he is a very busy man, working incredibly hard & his focus was elsewhere. I wanted to change this for both of us. I also wanted to be able to use my camera to film videos for my YouTube channel. While my point & shoot worked stood on a chair on it’s table top stand, it meant I was sat on the floor each time I filmed. I usually film two videos at a time to take advantage of being well enough to & occasionally film three! Sitting on the floor is less than ideal for me with the way in which my EDS affects my hips, so the first thing on my list was a tripod. I wanted one that, while lightweight & easy to transport, was stable & durable. I chose the Manfrotto Befree Compact Lightweight Tripod.


I’d seen a few fashion bloggers talking about how handy they found a remote control for taking their fashion photos. I decided that, instead of setting the cameras timer, running in front of the camera haphazardly (I’m sure there are people who can pull this off brilliantly but I’m the type that would end up with a photo of me mid fall! I didn’t like the idea of that, so I decided a remote was worth getting. It has proved invaluable for thumbnail photos for my YouTube channel too! You'll need to check the compatibility with your camera. I got the Nikon ML-L3.


My next thought turned to which memory card to get. One of the reasons for getting a DSLR was to use if to film video. I knew that this took up a fair bit of memory, particularly to shoot in HD, which is what I wanted. I had also learned from Chanele that the ‘class’ of the memory card is important. The one I had in my point & shoot was a class 2, which was why my camera kept stopping mid record. I don’t understand the tech behind it, but I knew that ‘class 10’ was the recommended choice & I think the highest option. I didn’t know whether I might use my DSLR to film when I was out & about or on holiday, where I wouldn’t necessarily have access to my laptop to download footage. I was also aware that there would be times when I would want to film three YouTube videos back to back, so I decided to go for the highest memory I could get. I went with this  Komputer Bay 64GB Class 10 card.


Next on my mental list was a spare battery - I’d watched a number of YouTube videos where people have to come back a few hours later to finish filming their videos because their battery dies. I knew that, because of my chronic illness, if this were to happen to me I would have loose the motivation & energy to finish filming so would be left with the choice of:

a) finish the next day in a different set of clothes & makeup - not ideal for continuity
b) finish filming the next day & recreate the same makeup look & wear the same clothes - not great with my poor memory. Even with the makeup photos I take of my filming face I can often struggle to recreate the same look!
c) start over


I didn’t like the idea of any of these. I was also aware that if I was at an event or shooting on location for a fashion post (something I want to do soon) I would be stuck if my battery died! So I decided to buy a spare. I keep one battery in the camera & a fully charged one in my camera case (more to come on this). This has proved invaluable for filming - all I have to do is pop the flat one out of the bottom of the camera & replace it with the charged one! It is so slick that it reminds me of a secret agent re-loading their gun mid fire fight. It feels almost like I’m a special agent in an NCIS episode but instead of doing a quick & slick gun reload, I reload the camera! Anyway, enough of my fantasies of solving criminal activity & locking up the baddies…  The battery you will need is going to be different for each camera so do your research. The battery that came with my camera was the Nikon EN-EL14a. I knew this when I ordered it, so bought the spare at the same time.

I decided to buy all these accessories at the same time as my camera. My thought process behind this was that if I’m spending a fair few pennies on a camera, I want to be able to get the best from it straight away. I didn’t want to come across incidences where my camera frustrated me because I couldn’t do something (like carry on filming a video!). I could have gone for a smaller memory card, but the price difference didn’t make it worth doing (more on prices in my ‘Where To Buy’  post, coming soon).

Now to the things I didn’t get initially…

A camera case: I’ve never seen a blogger with a camera case! They always seem to have them round their necks without the lens cap, in the same way tourists do. I’ve always wondered what people do when it rains!?! Surely the camera gets wet??? Surely that’s not good for the camera!?! Up until now I have been using the case from my Grandad’s Minolta SLR. I’m not keen on carrying around an obvious camera case, to my it just screams ‘I’ve got a fancy camera! Come & rob me!’ I know that this again is a very personal thing & that each individual needs to feel comfortable with their own method of transporting their camera. I was out with Chloe, one of my Essex blogger friends & we went into Primark. She picked up one of their bucket style bags for her camera as she wanted to have it close at hand, but not on show. I thought this was a great idea, but didn’t pick one up myself. I worried that, with the style of the bag, it would easily let water in should it rain. To be honest, that style of bag makes me nervous full stop! Just the thought of someone being able to slip their hand into your bag as you go up an escalator or queueing for something makes me stressed!

A coupe of weeks ago I found the ideal solution for me - a Nica bag from TKMaxx. This bag is roomy, quite structured so the camera is less likely to get knocked & has both handles & a shoulder strap. There are also inside pockets big enough for my accessories. I was a very happy blogger! I think I’m most likely to use this bag with the handles as I’ll have a separate handbag which will most likely be a shoulder bad. I wouldn’t combine the two as I would be worried that my everyday essentials & the rummaging I do to find my phone & keys would damage the camera.

Another thing that I would like to pick up is a  spare memory card that will live in my camera bag. I’ve been to a couple of blogger events where friends have downloaded images before leaving the house & left their memory cards in their computers. These resulting in a mad dash to whichever local store they could find that sold memory cards & the need to pay over the odds for these cards! If I were in this situation I think I would go into panic! I wouldn’t know what card to go for! I like to have a little time & breathing spade for such purchased (any purchases really!). As I won’t be going to an event any time soon this is a purchase that can wait.

I really hope you’ve found this useful if you are thinking of buying a DSLR or accessories for one. I would suggest doing your research well in advance to make sure the accessories you buy are the best for your needs & compatible with your DSLR. Buy at a time that works for you too - don’t feel you have to get everything all at once. I will go into detail about the specific accessories I chose in my ‘My Thoughts On My Camera’ post, or even write them their own review!

Tania Xx

Have you seen my Empties #6 video?

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Monday 15 June 2015

Dr. PawPaw Original Balm - Review

Hi Everyone!

I don’t know if you’re aware, but I ended up in A&E a little while ago. I’ve written about it here if you want to know more. One of the reasons I was sent to hospital was that I was dehydrated & unable to keep fluids down. My skin was badly affected as I’m sure you can imagine. My lips in particular were dry & flaky. The Dr. PawPaw Original Balm* landed on my doormat a few days later & was a God send!

As soon as I put the lip balm on I could feel it soothing my lips. After a few uses, my lips were in a better condition than they had been even before I was unwell!


Many people will prefer the tube applicator as it’s more sanitary, but I find these more difficult because of my EDS. The balm is quite solid in consistency, which made application even tougher. I had to squeeze very hard to get product out, which made my fingers bend the wrong way. I’ve resorted to squeezing the tube with both hands & even that’s it’s not easy.

The balm is multi-purpose, which I think is great! Not only is it great for lips, but also dry & cracked skin, hair, cuticles & nails! The balm can be used as a primer for both eyes & face too, saving much needed packing space when on holiday. I was going to film a YouTube video, but when I put my tinted moisturiser on it clung to the dry patches on my face as a result of having been unwell. I decided to try the balm on my face as an intense moisturiser, which worked really well - my skin is in great condition now!

There are 3 balms in the range; Original, Ultimate Red & Peach Pink. These coloured options would be great for when you want a lighter makeup look during the summer months!

You can pick the Dr. PawPaw balms up for £6.95 from Harvey Nichols, Urban Outfitters & asos.com.

Tania Xx


Ingredients:
Petrolatum, Aloe Barbadenis Leaf Juice, Olea Europaea (Olive) Fruit Oil,  Carica Papaya (fermentedPAWPAW), Potassium Sorbate

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Friday 12 June 2015

Update - A Trip To A&E

Hi Everyone!

Today I wanted to bring you a little update on how my medication reduction has been going.

To start off with, everything was going ok. I was experiencing intense fatigue initially after the decrease, but this seemed to sort itself our fairly quickly each time & after the first few reductions things became easier.

A few weeks ago, I had difficulty & pain when swallowing. It felt as though my food weren’t moving down inside me properly, almost as though it were getting stuck. I went to the GP, who initially upped the dose of my anti-acid. A week later & no improvement. I had lost 5lb & was living off nothing but bowls of cereal. I went back to my GP, who prescribed me Metoclopramide, to be taken three times a day for a week, then as needed. 


Everything was going well, I put back on the 5lb I had lost & was finding the pain I experienced on eating getting further & further down my chest. I was then left in discomfort, but not in pain. On day seven however, I woke with diarrhea & vomiting. I was experiencing constant palpitations that got stronger & stronger throughout the day. I couldn’t sit up without intense dizziness & experienced a pooling feeling down my legs a number of times whilst trying to get myself to the bathroom! My body was going from cold to hot & clammy with no middle ground! With my being unable to keep water & my tablets down I was really worried.

The last thing I wanted to do was end up in A&E, but I knew I couldn’t carry on as I was without help. I tried to phone my sister, an A&E nurse for advice. She understands the difficulty fluorescent lights cause me. She didn’t answer so I tried her husband, a paramedic, who I couldn’t get through to either. My next thought was to try 111, the new version of NHS Direct. The woman I spoke to was lovely, I couldn’t have asked for more. As it was in GP opening times she told me to get an emergency appointment with them & she offered to send through details of our conversation so the surgery knew I’d spoken to her. I had to speak to the on call GP, someone I don’t get on with as she seems to think that the symptoms she experiences with her hypermobility syndrome are universal! She was very abrupt & patronising to the point where she made me cry! Freya heard & sat outside the bedroom door started mewing at me as though to say ‘It’s ok Mummy, don’t cry!’ She’s such a sweetie!


The walk to the Dr’s is about 10 minutes but I couldn’t manage it so I had to get a taxi. I was amazed I could sit up in the taxi. I took a bowl with me just incase I started being sick again! The GP I saw was lovely. She understood that A&E was a last resort for me. She did an ECG & took my pulse, which concerned her as it was 132bpm. She was unable to give me Prochlorperazine in a soluble version that can be placed between the gum & the lip to dissolve. Unfortunately, I had a severe reaction to this drug in 1999 that put me in hospital. This & the fact that I was dehydrated meant that our only option was for me to go to A&E. I was very thankful that she went through every option before we reached this point & that she was so thorough in doing the ECG. 

The GP phoned the A&E department ahead of me & provided me with a letter to give to them on arrival. I checked in at 5:30 & was seen by the nurse at 6:15. By this point my heart rate was up to 140bpm. They hooked me up to a saline drip to hydrate me. At 9pm we asked what was happening & were told that the day staff were just handing over to the night staff & that once they had done this there were two patients to be seen before me. 10:30 rolled around & I still hadn’t been seen. Dan asked what was happening to be told that they were finding me a bed! We hadn’t been told that they were going to be keeping me in.

Dan & I argued that this was not in my best interest. Being photosensitive, hospitals are not great for me at the best of times. With my not having been able to keep my anti-convulsant medications down I was not prepared to entertain the thought of staying overnight for one moment. I was supposed to stay in after my knee op, but the things that were supposed to be put in place hadn’t been & it was a complete disaster. The nursing staff tried to tell us that I needed to be seen by the medical team, but they had no answer when we pointed out that I’d been there 5 hours & not seen a Dr, so it could hardly be that bad! By this point I had picked up a little from the fluid & had kept my evening tablets & a little water down. They took my heart rate again, which had come down to 130bpm, so grudgingly agreed to allow me to discharge myself. We left the hospital at 11pm!

I took a while for me to get back to normal, experiencing diarrhea again a couple of days later. I phoned the hospital who look after me for my migraine incase any of this could be related to my medication reduction. They told me not to take any more of the Metoclopramide - it turns out this drug can cause diarrhea & tachycardia! I really shouldn’t have been put on it as I’m suspected of having PoTS! I was told to phone back after a week & if I’m still having difficulty with spasms when swallowing we’ll up the dose for a little while, before reducing a bit.

So things have been eventful! I’ll keep you up to date…


Tania Xx

Thursday 11 June 2015

Spoonie Blogger Meet Up: Join Us

Hi Everyone!

Something rather exciting has come about that I can’t wait to share with you!

I’ve made a great friend in Sarah, who has come up with the idea of holding a ‘Spoonie’ bloggers meet up! I think this is a fantastic idea & will be helping arrange this. I’ve found it difficult to find other chronic illness & disabled bloggers & think this is a great way of meeting new people!


We both understand that travel can be difficult for spoonies and that some people will need to cancel on the day. Don’t worry if you fall into this category, we have a contingency plan for that so that as many people can be involved as possible!

The meet up will be held in the UK, but at the moment, we don’t have a place/date/time in mind. So if this is something you would be interested in, please your name, blog, Twitter handle & an email address in the comments below. If you’re not comfortable leaving these details, you can email me at whentaniatalks@gmail.com.

Check Sarah’s post about the event out here & we’ll hopefully see you soon!



Tania Xx

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Monday 8 June 2015

Happy 1st Birthday When Tania Talks!

Hi Everyone!

Well what d’ya know, it was a year ago today that I started my blog! So happy 1st birthday When Tania Talks!

I wanted to use this post to reminisce about some of the amazing people I’ve met through blogging, as well as some of the wonderful things I’ve been involved in. I also want to look forward & have a think about where I want to be this time next year & how I might achieve these.



Let’s start with this past year…

Probably the biggest think I have gotten out of blogging are the friendships I’ve made, here are just a few who mean a lot to me:


Some of these bloggers I have met through blogging events, such as the Blogging Owls' Bloggers Xmas Party, Scarlett London’s #Bloggerfest & the Bloggers Love #BLFW. Along with making some great blogging friends, I have also had the chance to meet some full-time bloggers, who I look up to. I have met Gracie Francesca, Anna from Vivianna Does Makeup & Lily Pebbles. All three of these ladies are so down to earth & completely genuine. What you see of them in their YouTube videos is exactly the same as in real life.



I have been really excited & flattered to work together with other bloggers. I have been part of Healthy Selves Chat & the Kind Act & the #TakeBackWhatsYours Campaigns. I have also been given the opportunity to be a guest contributor on Fem-tellectual, an exciting blog with posts from a wide variety of female bloggers. I have worked with some great brands, too many to name & have also received a paid (actual money!) post, which was really exciting & first gave me the feeling that I might be able to make my blog more than a hobby. Another experience that made me think that this might be a viable career option was when Nars contacted me to send me a thank you because they loved my posts on their products! I have a hand written note on the back of a NARSissist card that I’m going to frame & keep on my bedside table to motivate me when things get tough, both in the blogging context & in a more general context - it’s always nice to be appreciated for the work you have done (I feel like I’m back at school with my hand up in the air ready to answer a questin!).

I have learnt a lot in the past year. I had no idea how far my photographs, in terms of quality & composition, would come in such a short space of time! I would also never have imagined that I would be able to design & edit using HTML & CSS with nothing but tutorials to guide me, particularly as IT was my weakest subject at school!



Now, let’s look to the future…

I’m going to do something that’s a big bloggy no-no - talking about stats.

i would love for blogging & vlogging to be a part-time career. While I don’t think my body would allow me to do any job full-time, blogging & logging have the flexibility that allows me to create content when I’m able & rest when I’m not. The ability to work from home is particularly attractive with me coming off my medication to try for a baby. The other plus, which is a huge factor, is that I really enjoy this hobby of mine &, if I can go on to make money doing it - great!

Let’s look at my stats. As of last night I had:
Bloglovin’ followers: 282
YouTube subscribers: 244
Twitter followers: 1574
Instagram followers: 794
Pinterest followers: 202

By this time next year, I would like to have:
Bloglovin’ followers: 700
YouTube subscribers: 600
Twitter followers: 3200
Instagram followers: 1700
Pinterest followers: 500

In addition to the stats increase, I would love to meet & work with more & more talented bloggers. I want to build strong relationships with brands & be able to deliver you high quality post content & images.

So how am I going to achieve these goals…?

I know I need to start utilising Google+ more effectively. I’ve ended up with 2 profiles, something to do with one being from Blogger & the other YouTube - I think! If anyone has any tips as to how to manage two profiles, or get rid of one I’d really appreciate it!

Twitter chats are something I have really enjoyed in the past, but I haven’t joined in recently. A lot of this has been to do with either Dan not getting home from work until late so I am cooking dinner, or I’ve not been well enough. I want to make a concerted effort to join in AT LEAST two Twitter chats per week.



I have an organiser for my blog but I have lost the energy to use it! That might sound silly, but when you barely have the energy to get posts up on time having a plan laid out can at best be an extra step & at worst counter productive as it can cause you to feel that you’re not coping & not doing what you could/should/want to do. However, used in the right way an organiser can really help organise ideas, posting schedules & more! I need to keep one of those pens that have 4 colours in them to aid my organisation. I can only read the black & blue, but having sections in different colours really helps me to focus on one specific piece of information, where as text all in one colour can blur together much easier. I can then use the green & red for shapes & symbols to highlight really important things. I need to write the Twitter chats written down in my organiser & start choosing which I am going to join in with at the beginning of the week, then write them in the main ‘diary’ section of the organiser to remind myself. 

I REALLY want to read more blog posts. I find watching YouTube videos much easier as I can have them on in the background when I’m working. Reading is something I find much harder. It’s something I want to force myself to do though as I feel I’m missing out on this part of the blogging community. You can learn a lot from watching what other people do & being inspired by their work. i think this will help me grow into the blogger I want to become. To me, comments on blog posts are also a way of giving back to the community. Think about how you feel when you receive a comment from someone who has read, understood & wants to engage in a conversation with you about the topic - it feels great & I want to be able to give that feeling to people who have worked hard to produce quality content. I would like to comment on three blogs per day (except Monday, which is my stupidly long day). I'm going to start with 1 a day & build up to 3 to make it a more manageable & realistic achievement.

I want to make my blog a more aesthetically pleasing & easy to navigate space. SO I’m going to leave you with some exciting news - I’m in the process of switching from Blogger to self-hosted Wordpress! I want to get the layout just so before making the switch, so keep your eyes peeled for my new .com address! I’m hoping it will be ready for the beginning of July, but I don’t want to do a rushed job.


Tania Xx

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Thursday 4 June 2015

Maybelline 'The Nudes' Palette Review

Hi Everyone!

Following on from my review of Maybelline’s Contour Palette I thought I’d bring you my thoughts on their 'The Nudes' Palette, which I bought at the same time. The Nudes Palette costs £9.99 & Superdrug had a promotional 2 for £10 offer on all Maybelline cosmetics, so I effectively got the Contour Palette for 1p! Get ready for lots of pics!





Firstly, I have to say just how impressed I am with the formula of these shadows! Particularly, though not exclusively, the shimmer shades They have the same smooth, buttery formula as Urban Decay’s shadows - which I LOVE!!!! They are also very pigmented & blend beautifully! The shade range is good, with 5 matte & 7 shimmer shades.

As well as the swatches, I wanted to create an eye look for you all. I’ve numbered the shades so you can see which I used.



1. On the brow bone & down into the crease to help blending (I’ve found this to be a really good tip)
2. On the lid, all the way up to the crease
3. 3/4 of the way into the crease
4. 1/2 of the way into the crease, outer ‘V’ & lower lash line
5. Upper lash line
6. Inner corner of the eye


I have to say, this has been the best drugstore palette I’ve ever used - no creasing or fading at all! I did use my Urban Decay Primer Potion, but I’ve had drugstore eyeshadows fade & crease even with this applied as a base!


I hope this post has been useful for you & that if you want to get your hands on it Superdrug still have their 2 for £10 offer on.

Do let me know what your favourite shades are from this palette are & if there are any drugstore eyeshadow palettes I NEED to get my hands on!

Tania Xx

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Monday 1 June 2015

Contour Chronicles - Maybelline Master Sculpt Contouring Palette

Hi Everyone!

As a fairer skinned girl, I do struggle to find a contour shade that doesn’t pull too orange toned or muddy. So I thought I’d run a Contour Chronicles series along side my Concealer Chronicles. I’ve already posted about MAC HARMONY BLUSHERNYXTAUPE BLUSHER, NARS LAGUNA BRONZER & Makeup Store Eyeshadow in Masai. I thought I would continue the series with a new release at the drugstore - the Maybelline Master Sculpt Contouring Palette.


As I’ve already said, I have fair skin but I think, when taking about any skin, undertone is also very important to note. I’ve yellow undertones; so don’t fall into the palest category, which mostly describes those with pinker undertones.



To keep consistency, I’m going to be using my MAC 168 brush on my face & the Real Techniques Duo-Fibe Eye Brush to contour my nose. If I’ve found a brush that I think creates a better result for the product in question I’ll be sure to let you know.


The shade I chose to go for was 02 Medium Dark. I have found that most drugstore brands seem to make their ‘darker’ shades more cool toned, which seems to suit me better.



Both the contour & highlight shades apply easily & are fairly sheer in pigmentation but can be built up easily to give more colour & definition. I like this as it makes it much harder to overdo & look too harsh or unnatural. I have been REALLY impressed with this product, the contour shade, whilst still warm toned is less so than many I’ve tried, making it more flattering on my skin tone & colouring. I would describe 02 as a light neutral brown. The highlight is great for during the day & though it looks like there are small shimmer particles in the pan, these don’t transfer as such on the face.


Products used:
Maybelline Master Sculpt Contouring Palette in 02 Medium Dark
NARS Tinted Moisturiser in 01 Finland
Estee Lauder Disappear Smoothing Crème Concealer in Light
Laura Mercier Secret Brightening Powder in 01
Urban Decay Primer Potion
Eyeshadows from the Maybelline The Nudes Palette
NARS Eyebrow Sculpting Pencil in Kalamata
MUA Clear Mascara as brow gel
Bobbi Brown Blusher in Nude Pink
Rimmel Lip Liner in East End Snob
Topshop Lipstick in Innocent

I prefer a cooler toned contour shade even though my skin is warmer in tone! Maybe it’s to do with me also being of a lighter complexion – who knows! I have been really impressed with the shade of this contour palette, which also comes with a brush & mirror inside the compact.


Maybelline’s Master Sculpt Contouring Palette is £6.99, while the 168 brush & Real Techniques Duo-Fiber Collection are £27 & £23 respectively.

What product(s) & brush(s) do you use to contour with?

Tania Xx

Ingredients:
TALC, SYNTHETIC FLUORPHLOGOPITE MAGNESIUM STERATE, ISODECYL NEOPENTANOATE, NYLON-12, ALUMINIA CAPRYLYL GLYCOL, CALCIUM SODIUM BOROSILICATE, CALCIUM ALUMINIUM BOROSILICATE, SILICA, MAGNESIUM, TIN OXIDE [+/- MAY CONTAIN: MICA, CI 77891/TITANIUM DIOXIDE, CI 77491, CI 77492, CI 77499/IRON OXIDES, CI 75470/CARMINE, CI 15850/RED 7, CI 45410/RED 27, CI 45410/RED 28 LAKE, CI 77163/BISMUTH OXYCHLORIDE, CI 77288/CHROMIUM OXIDE GREENS, CI 77742/MANGANESE VIOLET, CI 77400/BRONZE POWDER, CI 77400/COPPER POWDER, CI 77000/ALUMINIUM POWDER, CI 7707/ULTRAMARINES, CI 16035/RED 40 LAKE, CI 19140/YELLOW 5 LAKE, CI 42090/BLUE 1 LAKE, CI 73360RED 30 LAKE, CI 77510/FERRIC AMMONIM FERROCYANIDE, CI 77510/FERRIC FEROCYANIDE].

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